Our Genealogy Helper
Introduction ...
So far, we found very little information about West Port. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>
We've added West Port to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with West Port, please Contact Us.
We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:
- That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
- We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
- On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.
By learning about West Port (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.
As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for West Port. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.
Name Variations for West Port ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
For example, a typical abbreviation for West Port: W. Port
You might be interested in other communities that are also named West Port. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for West Port.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
Neighboring Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Although our information shows that the community of West Port is historic, it would have been located within present day Lowndes County.
To see how the shape of Mississippi's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Lowndes County: Lamar (AL), Pickens (AL), Clay, Monroe, Noxubee & Oktibbeha.
Below are the counties that are near West Port. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Port:
- Lowndes County (The home county of West Port)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Port, with the one closest to West Port listed first.
- Columbus
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Bent Oak
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Bent Oak is also located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bent Oak
- New Hope
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- New Hope is also located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
- Kolola Springs
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Kolola Springs is also located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kolola Springs
- Artesia
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Artesia is also located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artesia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 420 people
- Caledonia
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Crawford
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Clay County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Port, with the one closest to West Port listed first.
- Waverly
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Waverly is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
- Vinton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Vinton is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinton
- West Point
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Whites
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Whites is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whites
- Mhoons Valley
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Mhoons Valley is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mhoons Valley
- Siloam
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Siloam is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siloam
- Abbott
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Abbott is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbott
- Cedar Bluff
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Cedar Bluff is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Bluff
- Griffith
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Griffith is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffith
- Una
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Una is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Una
- Pheba
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Beasley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Beasley is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beasley
- Monroe County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Port, with the one closest to West Port listed first.
- Hamilton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Muldon
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Muldon is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muldon
- Aberdeen
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Gibson
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Gibson is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibson
- Greenwood Springs
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Acker ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Acker is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acker
- Gattman
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Gattman is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gattman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 89 people
- Noxubee County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Port, with the one closest to West Port listed first.
- Deerbrook
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Deerbrook is located in Noxubee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deerbrook
- Brooksville
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Ravine
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Ravine is located in Noxubee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravine
- Fairport ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Fairport is located in Noxubee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairport
- Macon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Harlan ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Harlan is located in Noxubee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlan
- Oktibbeha County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Port, with the one closest to West Port listed first.
- Sessums
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Clayton Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Clayton Village is located in Oktibbeha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton Village
- Starkville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Adaton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Adaton is located in Oktibbeha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adaton
- Longview
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Longview is located in Oktibbeha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longview
- Lamar County (AL)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Port, with the one closest to West Port listed first.
- Fernbank
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Fernbank is located in Lamar County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fernbank
- Millport
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Bedford
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Bedford is located in Lamar County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford
- Hightogy
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Hightogy is located in Lamar County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hightogy
- Kennedy
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Kennedy is located in Lamar County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kennedy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 421 people
- Vernon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Pickens County (AL)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Port, with the one closest to West Port listed first.
- Stafford
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Stafford is located in Pickens County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stafford
- Macedonia
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Macedonia is located in Pickens County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macedonia
- Ethelsville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Ethelsville is located in Pickens County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ethelsville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 73 people
- Archer
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Archer is located in Pickens County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Archer
- McShan
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- McShan is located in Pickens County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McShan
- Pickensville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Pickensville is located in Pickens County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pickensville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 572 people
- Coal Fire
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Coal Fire is located in Pickens County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Fire
- Memphis
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Memphis is located in Pickens County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Memphis
- Population from the 2020 Census: 26 people
- Beaver Town
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Beaver Town is located in Pickens County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Town
- Carrollton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Carrollton is located in Pickens County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrollton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 935 people
- Reform
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Stansel
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Stansel is located in Pickens County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stansel
- Garden
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Garden is located in Pickens County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Port, see our County-by-County Page for West Port.
Cemeteries Near West Port ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Port.
This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for West Port - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for West Port covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Port, with the one closest to West Port listed first.
- St. Matthews Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Friendship Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Memorial Gardens
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Memorial Gardens
- The Memorial Gardens has also been known as:
- Columbus Rest Haven Gardens
- Memorial Gardens of Columbus
- St. Paul Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Stallion Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Sandfield Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Plymouth Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Mt. Ararat Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Greenlawn Memorial Park
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Motley Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Waverley Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Young Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (324 more) ...
- Pitchlynn Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lee Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Prairie Hill Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
Nearby Communities in 1895 ...
We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.
While we didn't find West Port in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of West Port.
These communities are listed based on their distance from West Port, with the one closest to West Port listed first.
- Columbus
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- McIntyre ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- McIntyre is also located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntyre
- Waverly
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Waverly is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
- New Hope
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- New Hope is also located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
- Trinity
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Trinity is also located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trinity
- Steens
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Steens is also located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steens
- Tibbee
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Tibbee is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tibbee
- Artesia
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Artesia is also located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artesia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 420 people
- Vinton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Vinton is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinton
- Stafford
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Stafford is located in Pickens County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stafford
- West Point
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Sessums
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Caledonia
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Whites
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Whites is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whites
- Osborn
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Osborn is located in Oktibbeha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osborn
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around West Port. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Port.
Newspapers Published in West Port ...
An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).
To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.
Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 53 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Port.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Port, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Port.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.
To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to West Port:
- Websites specific to Mississippi
- Pages specific to Lowndes County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Clay County
- Monroe County
- Noxubee County
- Oktibbeha County
- Lamar County
- Pickens County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Mississippi
Footnotes ...
| <1> | We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about West Port, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <3> | The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- West Port) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |